Stones is a story of a girl whose brother died through alcohol, and how she deals with her depression.

At first I was a bit wary of this book, as it’s only available as an ebook (reason unknown), and I wasn’t sure if it was going to be a quick, predictable book. It was the complete opposite! Stones is a charming book, the characters constantly keeping you on edge and the storyline was very clever. At the beginning it felt a bit like it took a while for the author to get going, but eventually the story flowed beautifully and I fell in love with it. The characters are fantastic and very different. The only slight let down for myself is the ending, not because it’s weak but because it didn’t turn out the way I’d been hoping for, but props to the author for coming up with a great ending.

Overall, I give this book 3/5. I feel as this is Polly’s first novel, it was good but if I had not been determined, I wouldn’t have finished it. Looking forward to a second novel.

Ketchup Clouds was a book I found out about through a friend. I’d heard good things about it so decided to finally read it after about a month or so of putting it off. It truly is an incredible book with an unusual and enticing storyline. It’s about a girl called Zoe who writes letters to a man on death row, and with each letter more and more of Zoe’s story is revealed. It sounds strange but it’s definitely the best book I’ve read in a while.

I’d recommend this book to young adults, teenagers and fans of John Green!My rating is 5/5!

Book Title: Her Fearful SymmetryAuthor: Audrey NiffeneggerRead: 10th June 2013

After reading and falling in love with Niffenegger’s ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’ and finding out about this through a friend, I decided to read it straight away. I was not disappointed. It was such a charming book and hard to put down, meeting not only the main characters of the twins, but the people around them who are prominent in the book and make the book even more interesting. It was an interesting view on ghosts and what life is like after you die, and the various stories woven within the main storyline was really interesting, my favourite being the story of Martin, who has OCD. This was not only because I’m very supportive of mental health awareness and equality/access to support, but I’d never read a book about someone with OCD and to have that part in the book made it that bit better for me, to see how other people perceive him and how his life is affected by it.This book really is fantastic and well worth a read.

Of COURSE I’ve read this! As an avid Potterhead, I have no criticisms towards this book. I’d read it as a young child and I still re-read them now. The first book in particular is like a journey into a new world alongside Harry. A really, really good read if you’re 8 or 80.

Book Title: You Against MeAuthor: Jenny DownhamRead: 29th August (2013)

Another Jenny Downham book – Apologies! The story of this book at first seemed predictable, ‘boy meets girl’ type book, however the actual storyline was incredibly gripping. It’s a story of a girl who accuses a boy of raping her. The girl’s brother and the boy’s sister then meet and basically fall in love. I couldn’t put it down, it was such a fantastic read and I was disappointed when I realised I’d come to the end of the book and I couldn’t continue. Although fairly basic and aimed mainly at teens, it really is a great book.

My rating of this book is 4/5. Definitely a great buy for a teenager or someone who loves romance novels.

Book Title: Before I DieAuthor: Jenny DownhamDate Read: September 1st (2013)

If you’ve seen the movie ‘Now is Good’ I recommend not basing your decisions on this book around the movie. I found a completely different Tessa in the book than I did in the movie, and I was somewhat disappointed. I watched the movie only to find afterwards it was based on a book, so I decided to read it.
As I said, I was disappointed with the ‘book Tessa’ however after a while I found I actually preferred the one in the book.

There’s not much to say about the book, it’s about a girl dying of cancer who decides to stop treatment. By the end of it, you’ll feel like you want to live a life worth living. It’s a sad story, but enjoyable.

Based on the fact I found myself trying to finish the book versus wanting to finish it, I realised although I enjoyed reading the book I still thought it was a bit ‘samey’.

I give this book 4/5 and I’d recommend to anyone who loved the film ‘now is good’ and anyone who loved ‘my sisters keeper’.

‘Wintergirls’ was a short but surprisingly good read. At first I felt it was slightly hard to get in to, but after a while I soon felt really empathetic towards the protagonist, Lia (despite never having an eating disorder).
The main story is about Lia, who has an eating disorder. Her best friend Cassie has died. It follows the story of her dealing with Cassie’s death whilst trying to deal with an eating disorder at the same time. The insight into Lia’s mind was so interesting it made me wonder whether the author had ever experienced an eating disorder, as it seemed so real and detailed.

Lia meets a boy later on in the book, and me being the typical romance lover I expected this to develop more, however (much to my disappointment) it does not amount to much.

The end of the book was good, although it felt somewhat cut off. As if there was more to say but not enough pages.

Overall, I give this book 3/5. I’d recommend especially to those interested in psychology or just a detailed look at the mind of an anorexic.